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"Beauty and the Beast" is a wonderful story that teaches important moral lessons in a fun way, with the integral theme of the story showing that a person's beauty is on the inside and it doesn't matter what they look like on the outside. Children and adults alike love the Broadway show and movie for the great story, fantastic songs, and interesting characters. Belle is a wonderful role model for young girls, because she is smart, funny and compassionate as well as being an elegant and beautiful Disney princess. This Belle doll is dressed in an exquisite ballgown modeled after the lavish gowns in the Broadway production. She first wears this beautiful dress in the romantic sequence when she is waltzing with the Beast and they are falling in love, and she wears it in the final scenes after the Beast has turned into her Prince. "At last, Beauty dances with the Prince who is no longer trapped inside the Beast. It is the beginning of living happily ever after..."
The spectacular full skirt of her ballgown is achieved with double-layered petticoats, a golden-yellow satin skirt overlaid with a layer of patterned golden lace, and finally, a dramatic gathered off-white tulle overskirt edged with a golden- yellow tulle ruffle. The neckline of the fitted sleeveless bodice is trimmed with a gold-edged tulle ruffle decorated with red rosettes. The front of her bodice is embellished with an off-white tulle band which extends into a gold-edged tulle stole around her shoulders. She also wears an ivory lace shawl around her back, draped over her arms, and flowing down along the sides of her skirt. Her gown has a large golden bow at her waist, and lines of golden braid trim extend from her bodice all the way down to the bottom edge of the tulle overskirt, ending in lovely red rosettes at the five points where the yellow tulle ruffle is attached to the off-white tulle overskirt.
Belle has a lovely smiling face, with large green eyes and wine-red lipstick on her closed mouth. Her long shiny dark-brown hair is curled in large dramatic tumbling curls with four pretty curls framing her face, and she wears a black satin headband adorned with a crown of three golden rosettes on top of her head. For jewelry, she wears faux-pearl, gold-toned and silver-toned beaded dangling earrings and a matching double-strand necklace.
The back of the box says: Belle's costume reflects the beauty and grace of the original Broadway gowns, designed by award-winning costume designer, Ann Hould-Ward. "My work is based on intricacy and countless hours of research," remarks Ms. Hould-Ward. "The costume designs for Disney's Beauty and The Beast are based on interpreting history from the 18th Century in Europe. Belle on Broadway's gown was obviously designed with the same kind of intricacy, and I am impressed with how accurately her costume resembles the original." Indeed, it was a challenge for Mattel Designer, Lui Domingo, to synthesize the mood and magic of such a grand and elaborate production into an 11˝ inch doll. As you can see from the delicate ivory lace shawl that rests on her shoulders, to the double-layered, thoroughly feminine petticoats, Belle takes center stage to bring the magic and excitement of Broadway to your Disney collection.
Belle is standing on the stage in front of the curtains in her box, ready for the next scene of the play to begin. The front cover of the box shows an outline of the Beast holding a shining red rose with one falling rose petal. Belle is in mint condition, and has never been removed from her mint-condition box. She comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, a reply card, and a doll stand.
